by A. D. McLain
“A sports park? I thought they closed down the last one of these years ago.”
Sports weren’t illegal, but they were frowned upon. They’re competitive, and competition breeds strong emotion, and strong emotions led to Psy violations and injuries. Some people died. The riots from the last World Series spilled over into five counties and lasted for thirteen days. When it was over, there were a thousand dead. Over half had no visible signs of what’d killed them. After that, all major sporting events were canceled.
“Where do they get all the equipment?” She picked up a ball and examined it.
“There’s a guy who knows how to do coding for the printers. Give him a description of anything you need and he can get it printed. So what’s your sport?”
Even through the inhibitor band, Lexy could feel him busting with excitement. As she looked around, her stomach fluttered, eyes grew wider. She wanted to jump into all of the games. The world was filled with brightness and color she’d never noticed before. People were cheering and smiling. They were active, making their own pleasure, not sitting around waiting for it. They were living.
She stared at the volleyball net. “My parents and I used to play volleyball when I was a kid. Mom was always on my team, with Dad on the other side. Even with the two of us, we still had trouble beating him.”
She could still remember the old football jersey her father would wear. It was faded and worn through in spots, but he loved it. And after their games, they would go inside for cookies and popcorn and veg out watching old horror movies. Her father kept his old movie collection and DVD player, even after everyone went digital. He did the same with his books. Her family owned many banned movies and content deleted from the cloud. Wary of the censorship that grew stricter with every year, her father had bought and stored several DVD players and replacement parts. Her mother now kept the last working one at her house. Because Lexy had a roommate, it wasn’t safe for her to keep it. She missed watching those old movies.
“Volleyball it is.” Jared grabbed her hand back to led her to the court. He grabbed a ball from a small metal rack on the side and tossed it to her. “Your serve.”
She tossed up the ball and swung her hand at it. The result was a pathetic arch and the ball hit the net. To top it off, it landed outside the court.
“I forgot how bad I was.” She laughed. “Then again, I was like four-feet tall the last time I played.”
Jared walked over to where the ball rolled and picked it up. “Maybe I should serve.”
“Might be for the best.”
He served, and she did her best to return the ball. It took a couple fumbling hits, but she managed to get it back over the net and in the court. After a few more passes, she felt less like a giraffe walking across ice. Ten minutes in, she actually managed to score a point. She jumped and whooped. Then he began to throw her harder and trickier shots. She missed most of them, but landed a few.
“Well,” Jared put the volleyball back in the rack, “I think the final score was around fifty-six to three.”
Lexy giggled. “Probably, but I don’t even care. That was fun.”
“I’m glad you had a good time. We can come back whenever you want.”
“Thanks.”
He held out his arm, and she took it and leaned against him as they strolled along. The football game was still going on, and people had gathered around to watch. There were a few children in the group and many women calling out support for players. Several couples watched and played other games. Some held hands. Kisses were stolen between blocks and passes. People walked off and arrived from many directions.
“How did you find this place?”
“My dad. He knows a lot of people.”
“You said you work for him. What do you do? How do you have time for all the things you learn?”
“I help him keep the books straight for his business. He pretty much lets me do it whenever I want, as long as I get it done.
“What kind of business is it?”
Jared inhaled deeply. “He’s… part of the entertainment industry.”
She snorted. “You make it sound like he’s running a brothel.”
Jared kept walking and led them to the tree stump where they’d changed shoes.
He retrieved the skates from where he’d left them. “Told you they’d still be here. You want to walk back or skate?”
“Walk. But don’t change the subject. What does your dad do?” She took her skates from him.
“He helps people. Everything he does is so he can help people.” Sincerity and discomfort was in his eyes.
Lexy went to him and put a hand on his face. “I—”
Jared captured her mouth in a kiss. Her hand dropped and her body went limp in his arms. She barely registered the skates falling to the ground. His lips were firm but gentle. There was power behind his touch, but she felt she could step away at any moment and he would let her go. He touched the side of her face, and his finger brushed over her inhibitor band, snapping her out of the moment. She stepped back and tried to regain her composure. Her eyes flickered to his inhibitor band.
“Is that the first time you’ve been kissed?” Jared bent over to pick up their skates and then slung both pairs over his shoulder.
She turned sideways and crossed her arms. “No one does that anymore. No one wants to. Everyone just wants to Psy-play.”
“Except you?”
Lexy pursed her lips and looked down.
“Well, they don’t know what they’re missing, cause that was pretty amazing.”
She grinned but remained silent.
“Look,” he took a step toward her, “I’m not going to lie. I like you. I like spending time with you. I like talking and doing things with you. I think people can be too casual with how they connect. They think if it isn’t physical, it isn’t real. But Psy contact can be just as real as physical contact. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being picky about who you connect with.”
Lexy dropped her arms and shuffled closer to him. “I like you, too, just so you know.” She gave him a peck on the lips, and her heart was pounding. Her body shook and her breath caught in her throat. “And I like connecting with you.”
Jared grinned. “Come on. Since we’re walking, there’s something else I want to show you.”
They ambled off the trail, deep into the forest, in the opposite direction of the sports park. The sun began to dip low in the mid-afternoon sky and much of the light was blocked by the trees.
At last, they came to a small clearing filled with unusually shaped trees. A maze of roots, trunks, and branches formed natural bridges, arches, and alcoves. Feeling a like a kid again, Lexy broke away and darted around one of the trees. She stepped up on a root and climbed to a branch. Jared jumped and grabbed onto the branch and swung up to join her. With another jump, he went higher and reached down to help her up. The view was unlike any she could remember. With leaves at their backs and the ground far below, she felt safe.
“How amazing would it be to have a house right here in this tree,” she said.
Jared grinned and stood. “Come this way.”
He led her down one of the branches and stepped onto the branch of another tree, on the way to the ground. Darting between the trees, he led her to another clearing, and Lexy’s jaw drop. In the middle of an open field, stood a massive tree like the ones they’d just climbed. Only, in this tree, hidden between the branches, was a wood cabin. The roots curved into a ramp leading up to a small set of steps. She followed him up and onto the front porch of the house. The view was as incredible as the last tree they were in. She could see a great distance in every direction from the circular porch that ramped up onto higher branches and a crow’s nest room above the house.
“Is this yours?”
“All mine.”
“Then why do you have an apartment in town? If this place was mine, I’d never leave here.”
Jared chuckled and opened the front door to show her in
side. He tapped a couple push lights and lit some candles. The inside was open, with a basic living room, a loft bed near the crow’s nest hatch, and a kitchenette complete with a camp stove and a supply of non-perishable foods. They climbed up to the loft and through the hatch. Inside the crow’s nest was round pillow big enough for both of them to sit on, and a bookshelf full of old books, most of them now censored in their electronic formats. There was also a door that led out onto the porch ramp. From the nest, she could see a lake. Past that was even more trees. No city lights were visible.
“I stay in town to be closer to my dad. But I come out here as often as I can. No one else lives around here. We’re a couple miles from the sports park or anywhere else people go.”
“A couple miles? I didn’t realize we walked for that long.”
He nodded. “It can be easy to lose track of time and distance out here.”
She leaned back against him and looked up. Her lips brushed his cheek, and she felt him take a deep breath. She wondered if they kissed again now, would it would go further. Her body ached as she anticipated exploring his body. He held her tight, securely, protectively. She tilted her head up, and he kissed her. She turned her body into his, and he pressed her back into the pillow. His body covered hers. He trailed his hands along her sides and caressed her breasts, over her blouse. She shivered and pressed her pelvis against his. Then his light surged and she felt herself falling, awash in desire. It pulled back almost as soon as it appeared, but she found herself blinking from the after-image of his strong energy. She looked up and expected to see his inhibitor band gone, but he still wore it.
She pushed back and sat up. “I’m sorry.” Her voice was breathless and raspy.
“No, you don’t have to apologize. I’m sorry. I… I got carried away.”
He straightened his clothes and opened the floor hatch to let them down into the main room. After entering the kitchenette, he took out a bottled water from under the counter and handed it to her before pulling out a second one for himself.
“We should start heading back if we want to make it to town before dark,” he said.
“You going to the club tonight with Kara and Curtis?”
“Which club?”
“I don’t know. She said it was some new one.”
“You going?”
“Probably,” she rolled her eyes. “Kara doesn’t like to take no for an answer. She’s determined to get me out, for my own good.”
Jared held open the front door for her and followed her out. “Well, send me a text if you get dragged along, and I’ll be there. If it gets too bad, we can check out early.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
They walked in silence most of the way back. Once they reached the path, they put their skates back on to reduce the time it would take to get back to the cars. Even so, it was already dark when they reached the parking lot.
Lexy opened her door and sat down to remove the skates. She stood without putting on the sneakers, and the concrete poked at her toes and sent a chill through her socks.
“I had a great time today,” she said.
“Me, too.”
He held up a hand and she held up hers to meet it.
Reluctantly, they let go and got into their cars. As Lexy drove away, she stared in her rearview mirror until his car was no longer visible.
4
The Pulse nightclub was an impressive site. Brick, white with blue and purple specks, made up the front and sides of the building. There were no windows, only a series of external arches to provide the illusion of windows. Massive crystal towers sat at the four corners, protecting everyone in the streets from Psy pulses from the patrons. Emblazoned on the front double doors was a circle with a line down the center. On the line was a smaller circle and a series of smaller lines splaying out in several directions. It had the appearance of a spider, though not exactly. The symbol stood for all Psy abilities and indicated a free zone. Within that building, Psy usage was allowed with little restriction.
The walls were soundproof, and every time the doors opened, a blast of music filled the street. Once the doors closed, the only sounds in the streets were from the people waiting to go inside. Lines stretched for two blocks in either direction. People begged and bribed to get in, but the bouncers kept the numbers under control. For every person who came out, another one went in. Since most of the club goers were there for the night, if you didn’t get in with the first couple waves, and if you weren’t near the front of the line, your chances of entering before dawn were nearly zero. That is unless you knew someone, which Ben did. He waved to the bouncer and called him by name, and he and his group went right in.
Lights and sounds pummeled them the moment the door was opened. Lexy braced herself. The others removed their bands and linked them through a belt loop. Lexy waited at the threshold, afraid to take that final step in, when she felt a hand at her back. Jared smiled back at her, and she found herself moving through the door. She watched him out the corner of her eye, but he didn’t remove his band. Relieved not to be the only one wearing a band, she held onto his hand at her waist. His presence was a reassurance. He wasn’t judging her.
Finally feeling more at ease, she took in her surroundings. The entrance foyer was dimly lit, a transition from the outside. After walking through a beaded curtain, they entered a black room with white lines next to the ceiling and edging all counters and furniture. There was a black light bar where glasses were lined with fluorescent paint and the bottles on the rack were illuminated from behind by faint-colored lights. In the center of the room, red, blue, and green ceiling lights spun around to shine in every direction. There was an area of tables and booths. The booths were enclosed in scrolled wire half-walls to give them privacy. The lighting was also dimmer in that area. Electric candle lanterns hung on the walls, and each booth had a beaded curtain at its entrance. From behind a few curtains, Lexy could hear moans and see movement in the flickering light. Just outside the booths, young people sat at the tables, drinking and talking.
The highlight of the club was the dance floor. Past an intricate wire banister, down a short set of stairs, people danced through a floor covered in white sudsy foam, glowing from black lights hung overhead. A waterfall of foam fell down between two cages with scantily clad women dancing inside. As they gyrated and moaned, other people used the edge of their platforms to jump out onto the floor, where they were caught and carried into the crowd.
“Let’s get drinks first,” Curtis said.
The girls took a seat at one of the tables and waited for the men to get their drinks. Lexy took a breath. Even with her band on, the Psy energy was intense. She felt a little like she was moving through syrup. Her eyes were already feeling the strain from the glow around everyone, though it wasn’t too bad as long as she didn’t look at the dance floor too long. That was the source of the strongest Psy pulses.
“Kara, what’s wrong with your roommate?” Ben’s girlfriend, Monique, was staring at Lexy. “I mean, what exactly do you have to hide that you won’t take your band off in here? We’re in a Psy zone, for crying out loud. Or are you too good for the rest of us? Can’t stand to mix your energies with us?”
“Monique, that’s enough.” Kara said. “If she doesn’t want to go Psy, what do you care? It’s none of your business.”
“Maybe because no one wants to party with a Psude,” Trae’s date said. “She wouldn’t take that band off her head if it was on fire.”
Lexy looked across the room to the bar, but Jared and the others were still ordering drinks. They wouldn’t be back for another couple minutes, at least.
“I’m going to the restroom.” She stood.
She didn’t notice Monique stand until it was too late. With the help of Trae’s date, she disengaged Lexy’s band and took it off before she could react. Light was all she could see. Blazing white, blue, and purple light filled her field of vision. Energy vibrated the air around her. What felt like syrup a moment before, now f
elt like a pulsing swarm of insects. No longer knowing which direction was up or down, she stumbled, only vaguely able to feel her feet. Every person had a unique Psy signature, complete with color patterns. The pattern always flared white when someone pulsed. She could follow that pulse to its target, seeing their light flare in emotional response. The flare was greatest at the moment of psygasm. Even with her eyes closed, she could see the lights. Her body felt weightless. Her mind was swimming. There were too many lights to distinguish between them. Too many pulses blended together.
Then all the lights went out. Feeling nauseous, she opened her eyes hesitantly and saw Jared sitting beside her in a plain, dim room. Multi-facetted crystals lined the wall. This was a crystal room, a private sanctuary for those who needed a rest from Psy, or a rendezvous option for those who wished for more privacy than the booths afforded. The bed underneath her and small private bath suggested this room was intended for couples wishing to engage in syntercourse—a combination of real and Psy sex.
She wondered at Jared’s light, no brighter than usual, until she saw the dial by the front door was turned to Full Block. Depending on how the crystals were turned, they either blocked out all Psy impulses in their area, or they simply blocked Psy energy from traveling through them, as the crystals outside the club did.
“How’re you feeling?” Jared moved a wet wash rag over her forehead and brushed his thumb over her hand.
“Okay now. Do you have my band?”
“No, I didn’t see it when I grabbed you. I’ll have to go look for it.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry!”
“For being so much trouble.” She pushed up to a seated position, feeling stronger now with the crystals and Jared.
Embarrassment filled the void left by her panic.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll go get your band and we can go. It’ll be fine.”
Before she could argue, there was a knock at the door. Kara slowly pushed it open and peeked in before entering.